Unlike many children, Suzan Vaughn never had animals growing up.

"My mom was so afraid of them that we weren’t really allowed to have pets," Vaughn recalled. "I didn’t really understand animals for a long time."

In true teenage rebellion, Vaughn got two cats the second she moved out of her mother’s home and into her own place at age 18 – and found her true calling.

"I connect through people to their animal companions and I can feel what the animal feels," said Vaughn, who noted that most people come to her with dogs, cats and horses. "I can also look out of the eyes of the animal and see what their perspective is."

To give an example, Vaughn cites a blond cocker spaniel that she communicated with recently via telephone.

"(The dog) just wouldn’t eat," she said. "It told me first that it … just wasn’t a big eater but also that its person was really worried about some things, so I talked to it."

After the owner hung up with Vaughn, she said, the dog went to the bowl and ate, proving the psychic’s connections can be made across borders.

"The beauty of the animal communication process is that it does not have any geographical boundaries," Vaughn explained. "You can tune into a dog through its person on the phone."

To prove it, Vaughn said although she relocated from Sequim to San Luis Obispo, Calif., just a year ago, she still has many clients on the peninsula.

Vaughn said she began realizing she had psychic powers in the late 1980s by connecting to people and then began wondering if the same telepathic techniques could be used to communicate with animals.

"It worked like a charm," she said.

Vaughn, who worked as a broadcast and print journalist for more than two decades, decided to share her experiences as a pet psychic in her first book, "Dispatches from the Ark: Pages from a Pet Psychic’s Notebook."

In the book, not only does Vaughn share her own experiences as to how she realized she could connect with critters, but she shares some tips on how to calm certain pets of the things that cause them the most anxiety.

"The No. 1 thing for cats is that if they’re trying to tell you something, they go potty outside of the box," Vaughn said.

For dogs, a big concern is riding in cars. Vaughn suggested to put the dog in the car, calm it down and then reward it with a treat several times, then go for a short drive to get it used to the vehicle and the ride.

Vaughn said she knows some people may voice doubts about her profession but she urges them to read the book and try the techniques for themselves.

"I’m not a vet," she said. "But I know I can understand animals on a different level and help their owners."

Who: Pet psychic and former Sequim resident Suzan Vaughn

What: "Dispatches from the Ark: Pages from a Pet Psychic’s Notebook," a book where Vaughn not only shares her own experiences with animals but offers tips that can help readers better understand their own animals

Where: The book is available at Vaughn’s

Web site www.TelepathicTalk.com, as well as Amazon.com and coming soon to Odyssey Bookshop in Port Angeles

Contact: For more information, visit

www.TelepathicTalk.com or call 805-781-0273